Interesting Nice Characters

This is probably true for most cases, especially when writers are passionate about their work. Although there are also writers who are very critical of their work and will see flaws that most people wouldn't really be bothered by. Like, instead of being their character's biggest advocate, they are the biggest critic.

Everyone is different so this may not be relatable to others, but often times I would start writing something and stop because I thought it was boring or awful, and then came back afterwards (or gave it to someone else to read) and it turned out rather entertaining during rereads or was at least passible.

I guess, the way I think about it is that writing and reading are two separate processes where writing has to do with translating what is in your mind into word form, while reading is taking what is in word form and imagining it in your mind.

The issue I have is when I don’t have a clear picture in my mind, the translation process gets very difficult. After it is written, however, the reader’s imagining process may not be all that bad because the reader will never know how much the writer struggled to make the translation part work.

 

Haha, I've tried altering her character altogether but found that the story just wouldn't be the same without her being that typical nice character. I just think she needs a little bit of spice but I haven't found the right ingredient yet.

 

So you're really here to vent lol. Because so far, you're convinced you need this character, you cannot change how important she is to the story, you cannot change her character, and you are basically saying "My instincts of what is boring or interesting are unreliable."

You're not really looking for a solution.

In that case, just write it. I'm not sure what else you want to do barring stopping altogether? Write it, let it simmer in the back burner, come back to it in 2-3 years' time and reread, edit, rewrite. It's a very long time to get a single book done but hey, whatever works.

 

I came to ask how to make a nice character interesting and a lot of posters recommended putting her in difficult situations, adding various mannerisms and quirks, think of her as a role model, etc. These are all good suggestions and the things that will help.

My question was not about how to make a character not nice, changing her altogether, or make her a secondary character. So while these may be solutions that can eliminate the "boring" issue, it's not necessarily the one that would be best suited for this story in particular.

 

I mentioned this already, but it really helps if your characters want something. And it can be pretty simple but always quite telling of who they are. That's what I try to do with my characters. The overall story doesn't have to be about what each character wants, but having them want things adds a layer of depth into who they are. Give it some thought. I really think this might be the way to go if you're still struggling.

 

Thank you, I will definately give this a try. Having a strong motivator for my character could very well give me the motivation to write her also, haha!

 

You know I love the movie Pollyanna - more so than the book because I like watching Hayley Mills struggle to stay upbeat in uneasy situations with people that constantly belittle her and scoff her for seeking out the good in things. There's a struggle there.
It's not always easy to be nice. It's easy to be nice to nice people - but it's a challenge when the situation provokes easy emotions like sulking, pouting, anger, frustration, rage etc.
Maybe your character needs more of a struggle. She's nice in the face of adversity.

 

I haven’t quite found this in any other media so far, but twice in manga (and now both in anime adaptations) I adore these two stories 君の届け (Reaching You) and 赤髪の白雪姫 (Snow White of the Red Hair) where the female protagonists are both the kindest, most compassionate, most do-goodiest characters in all of existence and I adore them and quite frankly find them refreshing. In everything they try their best and work to make sure everything works out for everyone—they obviously don’t always succeed, but frankly I find everything about them endearing and heartwarming.

Kuronuma is a misunderstood character, in that her shyness and appearance is initially interpreted as frightening and supernatural. But her aim is to be warm and friends with everyone. She is naive and simple and self sacrificing, but she lacks clear understanding of social cues or how to interpret and how others interpret communications and actions, which is often from where the “drama” comes springs.

Shirayuki (Snow White) is just a positive person with a strong work ethic. She’s a go getter who when she sets her mind to something will doggedly persist until she accomplishes her goal. She’s firm in what she believes and unwavering in the face of adversity, and is always kind to everyone.

I don’t particularly care for the word “nice” as it’s an empty qualifier to my mind, but both girls can be equally called nice (or kind, empathetic, goody two shoes, etc). Even so, they are distinct characters with unique personalities who would react differently placed in the same circumstances.

Being “nice” is not an all encompassing personality or inner character. What makes your character interesting is everything else she is. Find those traits, those beliefs, those values, those shortcomings, and all that in conjunction with her “nice”ness is the essence and what should grab you and the readers.

 

Thanks, peachalulu! Your suggestion on provoking negative emotions is something that may really work. Since all the characters around her are her opposite, I think this will make for some really interesting scenes. Thank you!

 

Wonderful! Yes, this is the kind of character inspiration I was trying to find - nice characters that are just nice and yet still interesting. I'll see if I can find the manga or anime to see what you mean.

 

Now to be fair, what is interesting to some people is not always so for others.

I have a girl friend who isn’t too keen on the cutesy type stories but a guy friend who ended up crying as he was touched so much while watching one of the shows with me.

It’s still very much a cup of tea thing. Hopefully the suggested series are digestible to you.

It’s just what made each of th3 main characters dynamic or more than their niceties is all their other attributes.

Shirayuki won’t wait on others but will strive to accomplish it herself; Sawako will do her best but will happily rely on others’ support or follow their lead.

Shirayuki will speak her mind unflinchingly to authority; Sawako is soft spoken and deferential to all.

Shirayuki is often savvy to the machinations of others or ulterior motives; Sawako is blindly trusting of everyone to an absurd degree.

Shirayuki believes in herself and will do everything (positive) in her power to get what she wants out of life; Sawako does not recognise her own value and often is surprised to be found deserving of friendship or generosity.

Both have huge hearts, can forgive past trespasses, strive for better relations with everyone, and always consider the needs of others at the forefront of their actions.

These sorts of traits are what make them endearing to me. At their core, they are sweet & compassionate individuals but as individuals they are quite different one from another.


A nice person can be silly. A nice person can be stoic. A nice person can be upbeat. A nice person can be melancholic. A nice person can love the quiet. A nice person can constantly seek adventure and excitement. A nice person can be intuitive. A nice person can be obtuse. A nice person can be a simpleton. A nice person can be insanely clever.

And besides, what sort of “nice” is it really?

Is she compassionate or is she civil? Is it polite societal mores or an inner quality of kindness? Are her actions out of actively trying to be a good person or trying to be liked or trying to keep the peace, or else is she just naturally, unfailingly empathetic or noble or protective or nurturing?

 

This thread makes me think of something a friend said to me, just the other day. He was referring to a person who has just died. Everybody keeps saying what a 'nice' person the dead woman was (and she was.)

My friend agreed that she was nice. Then he added, "...but she never went out of her way to be."

It was a startling observation, but true.

She was never the person who phoned somebody up—somebody who was having a hard time—and offered to help, or just to listen. If a person approached her with a problem, she would listen and be very nice about it. But you could grow a beard waiting for her to take the initiative. She wasn't shy either. She just wasn't proactive. She was the sort who smiled a lot and said nice things while other people talked to her, or helped her.

@StoryForest - I noticed you said your character does lots of nice things for people, which doesn't sound like the lady I'm talking about here. BUT that might be a key to your dilemma. Why is your character being nice?

My own theory about the lady I just mentioned is that she realised, early on (and during a difficult marriage to a rather overbearing man) that life is a lot smoother if you don't make waves. This puts a different spin on her niceness. It wasn't so much a desire to help other people, but a desire to avoid conflict and preserve peace for herself.

So ask these kinds of 'why' questions about your character. WHY is she doing nice things for people? Is it because she truly empathises with their plight and wants to make things better? Lots of other people will see the same things happening, but won't bother their arses. What makes her different?

Is it because she sees herself as a 'sister of mercy' and she is living up to her self-image? Which skews over into a self-absorbed kind of 'nice.'

Is she being 'nice' because she craves the regard of her fellow humans and wants them to value her for her niceness? If nobody noticed her nice doings, or gave her a hard time for doing them, would she still do them?

Dig into why your character does what she does. If you can get to the bottom of it, and show this to your readers, your superficially 'nice' character might become a lot more interesting, without you needing to make any major story changes.

 

Have you thought about conflict within charcters, so the nice princess is actually a bit twisted? Why not really mix things up and not let the reader know until you are ready? You might find you never let on at all. It is a way of making characters multi dimentional and far more interesting.

Imagine the shock of the Antagonist when she finds out Miss Nicey Nice Pants is actually more kick ass than her...

We all gotto love conflicted character!!

 

Thank you, Everyone! These are all really helpful and I will spend time working through these brainstorming excercises in the next few weeks to see what I can come up with.